Abstract

Adolescents have the second highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections. Understanding reinfection risk factors and rates among adolescents will significantly impact the development of prevention strategies, such as screening practices and sexual health education. The primary objective of this literature review was to assess the current gap in knowledge on gonorrhea and chlamydia reinfection risk factors and rates among adolescents. A literature review on reinfection rates and related risk factors of gonorrhea and chlamydia in adolescents was conducted through the PubMed database between 10/6/2015-10/10/2015, yielding 21 articles that met inclusion criteria. Each article was reviewed for adherence to topic, method, results, and limitations. There was little agreement on case definition for reinfection, which was defined by only 11 of the reviewed studies. Among adolescents (age range: 11-21), the overall prevalence rate of reinfection was 20.4%, while the overall incidence rate of reinfection was 23.6%. Reinfection rates were more frequently reported among females. Lack of data on male populations limited comparisons between the genders. Sexual and personal adolescent-specific risk factors associated with greater odds of reinfection include: lack of condom use, female gender, and history of abuse. In conclusion, this literature review highlights the public health significance of gonorrhea and chlamydia reinfections and the need for more research on reinfection rates and risk factors for reinfection in males, minority populations, and sexual minority adolescents to improve intervention measures that can be developed and implemented within these at-risk groups.